(London) King Charles III and Queen Camilla were crowned at Westminster Abbey in London on Saturday in a Christian ceremony full of pomp and solemnity, eight months after the death of Elizabeth II.
The culmination of this consecration, the first in 70 years, marked in the morning by the arrests of anti-monarchy demonstrators, the Archbishop of Canterbury placed on the head of the 74-year-old sovereign the crown of Saint Edward, in solid gold and set of rubies.
Dressed in a simple white linen shirt, the king had shortly before taken the oath on the Bible then received the anointing on his knees, protected from view by embroidered screens, while the famous Zadok The Priest of Handel.
He reappeared in the eyes of the audience and hundreds of millions of expected television viewers, to put on the “supertunica”, a silk coat wrapped in fine gold pieces, then the imperial coat, in gold cloth.
The royal stole on his shoulders, the white leather coronation glove on his right hand, a scepter in each hand, the king then received the crown weighing more than two kilos, used for all coronations since 1661.
PHOTO BEN BIRCHALL, AGENCY FRANCE-PRESSE
King Charles entering Westminster Abbey
“God Save The King!” declared the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, the first dignitary of the Anglican religion, imitated by some of the 2,300 guests present at the abbey.
Trumpets sounded and cannon shots were heard across the UK or fired from Royal Navy boats at sea.
His heir William, kneeling, then pledged allegiance to his father.
Camilla, 75, Charles’ second wife, was later blessed and crowned.
“Not My King”
Charles III became king of the United Kingdom and 14 Commonwealth countries, from Canada to Australia to Jamaica, in September on the death of his mother Elizabeth II, aged 96.
His coronation, unique in Europe, is the religious confirmation of this and the United Kingdom had not seen one since 1953.
If it has been modernized with a shorter duration, representatives of the main religions and gospel sung in addition to the classics, this thousand-year-old ritual has given the British monarchy the opportunity to deploy all the pomp of which it has the secret.
The king had left Buckingham Palace in a six-horse carriage, driving through central London in the rain in front of thousands of royal family fans and a few “Not my king” signs, unimaginable under his mother.
PHOTO ALESSANDRA TARANTINO, ASSOCIATED PRESS
King Charles III and Queen Consort Camilla arrived in a golden carriage.
He walked through the doors of the abbey dressed in the state coat of his grandfather George VI, notably followed by four pages, including his grandson George, followed by the Queen, in ivory robes embroidered with flowers.
Prince William and his wife Kate joined the other members of the royal family, including Prince Harry, relegated to third place and deprived of any official role during this historic day, a consequence of his departure for California in 2020 followed by violent criticism against the palace.
PHOTO PHIL NOBLE, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Prince William and Princess Catherine
In attendance were 2,300 guests, foreign dignitaries such as French President Emmanuel Macron or the wife of US President Jill Biden, celebrities such as actress Judi Dench, representatives of the nobility, political leaders and representatives of civil society.
At the end of the ceremony, the royal couple, crowns on their heads, left for Buckingham Palace in another 18th century carriage.e century, the very uncomfortable “Gold State Coach”, so heavy (four tons) that it had to be pulled by eight horses moving at a walk. He was escorted by an impressive procession of 4,000 servicemen, Princess Anne on horseback and William and his family in another carriage.
The royal family must greet the crowd from the balcony of the palace in the early afternoon.
“Be part of the future”
In a United Kingdom in the midst of a cost of living crisis, the event, with its gold scepters, carriages and crowns set with some of the largest diamonds in the world, was prepared without much popular enthusiasm.
Another downside: the police, engaged in one of their largest security operations with more than 11,000 officers mobilized, arrested more than 20 demonstrators before the coronation, including six anti-monarchists and environmental activists who wanted to protest on the royal route. .
“It’s something you expect to see in Moscow, not London,” protested the organization Human Rights Watch.
The antimonarchists remain very much in the minority, but their proportion rises especially among young people. Their presence was unimaginable under Elizabeth II, a sign of challenges for Charles III, an already elderly sovereign much less popular than his mother or his heir William, 40 years old.
A large crowd, joyful and decked out in the colors of the United Kingdom, gathered on the route between the palace and the Abbey, to attend this historic event and see the royal couple and the procession pass by.
To be here is “to be part of the future. It’s a coronation, it’s an important thing, “enthuses Dave Giddings, 41, who came from Scotland with his wife and son to the Mall, to attend the event as closely as possible, despite the rain. .
After the coronation, neighborhood meals and a concert in Windsor are notably scheduled for Sunday, before a holiday Monday.